Learning to Fly
by ThornRose14
Summary: AU. Luke lives a life of solitude after traumatic events he prefers to stay buried. When he is on his way to visit his worried sister and her family, he inadvertently saves the life of a young girl with a past of her own. Can these two lost souls save each other? Or are some wounds too deep to heal?
1. Unexpected Companion

**A/N: I do not own Star Wars. I am merely playing with some of the characters.**

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1

 _What a piece of junk,_ Luke thought to himself as he eyed the gray Honda civic sitting at the end of a long and unimpressive line. The salesman had been talking it up for the past ten minutes but all Luke saw was a rust bucket that would be lucky to get him to the nearest town. He tried to plaster a smile on his face as he tore his gaze from the car to the salesman, but he didn't think he'd managed to make it convincing, judging from the man's wince.

"I know it's old, but it's a very reliable car. The couple who traded it kept it quite maintained. Why don't you give it a test run?"

Luke shrugged and returned his gaze to the car. "How many miles does it have?"

The man hesitated for a moment before answering softly, "About two hundred thousand, but…"

Luke cut him off with a laugh. "Is that all?"

"…she runs like she just got out of the factory yesterday, and I promise you she is quite the bargain," the man finished as though Luke hadn't interrupted him.

"I suppose for ten thousand, I'm not going to do much better," Luke quipped, more to himself than the salesman, but the man answered him anyway.

"If I were you, I wouldn't need to think about it."

That earned the man a quick rebuffing look from Luke, though he fought back the retort that was fighting its way up his windpipe. "I'll take it."

"You…yes, very good, sir! Why don't we go inside and I'll begin the paperwork."

Luke nodded his acquiescence and followed the man inside the small office. He wasn't surprised to find he was the only customer inside apart from a middle-aged couple sitting in the nearest cubicle with a young boy sitting on the floor by his mother's feet. He was playing what looked like a very enticing game on his tablet. Luke was instantly reminded of his sister and her family, which of course caused him to look away. Any thought of Leia instantly sent a guilty wave through his entire body.

He spent the next hour going over every boring detail that came with buying a car. He was disappointed to learn that buying used did not allow him to escape the hassle of negotiating price and dealing with credit checks. His credit was the main reason he'd been forced to go to the used car dealership in the first place. Well, that and his utter lack caring. All he needed was a car that would take him to his sister's and back again. Other than that he was perfectly happy to spend the next ten years back at his home again.

By the time the paperwork was finally finished and Luke drove off the lot in his new/old Honda civic, he wanted nothing more than to return to his hermit lifestyle and never venture out again. But of course he couldn't do that. He'd made a promise and he needed to fulfill it.

As he drove onto the highway and proceeded west toward his hometown of Coruscant, he had to admit that the car drove like it had been built only the previous year. It was one of the smoothest cars he'd ever driven. It didn't make any clunks or moans and groans while going over a bump in the road or if he made a sharp turn. He could have driven it the entire way to his sister's without it giving him the slightest problem.

Luke would have if he wasn't so tired. By the time the sun set and his eyes burned from watching the road all day, he felt as though he were liable to pass out if he didn't get his body on a bed soon. He pulled off the highway and found himself right outside a cheap motel that proudly advertised vacancies.

He wasted no time pulling in to the nearly empty lot and quickly got out of the car. As he walked up to the door of the lobby, he noticed what appeared to be a young woman sitting on the sidewalk just outside the door to the nearest room. Her legs were stretched out in front of her and she was chowing down on what appeared to be a sandwich from a vending machine. She was shivering in what passed for a jacket but it didn't seem to bother her as she wolfed down the sandwich.

Luke turned away from her and entered the lobby. As he paid for his room for the night, he glanced out the window to see if the woman was still there, but he could see that she was gone. She probably finished her dinner and had gone back in her room for the night. Luke shrugged it off and tried not to dwell on her anymore.

As he drove to the back of the building to his room, he did not see any more of the woman. He was fine with that. After he entered his room he took a quick shower, dressing in the same clothes he'd had on, then laid in his bed and turned the television on, though he ended up not needing to because he'd fallen asleep before the program he'd decided to watch had ended.

By the time he woke the next morning, the sun was shining brightly through his window and Luke knew he'd overslept.

"Shit!" he exclaimed as he shot out of bed and grabbed the large black trash bag that served as his suitcase. He threw the door open so forcefully that it slammed against the wall to the room beside his and left a small crack. He heard angry voices coming from inside the room but he didn't have time to pacify his temporary neighbors. He fumbled in the pockets of his jeans for the keys to the car, cursing again as they eluded him. A minute later he was in the car and driving much faster than he should have back to the lobby.

He waited impatiently for the young couple in front of him to finish checking out, thinking to himself that it was taking much longer than it should be. By the time it was his turn he was in a thoroughly bad mood. He made as little small talk with the chatty attendant as possible, knowing that anything that came out of his mouth was bound to be rude and unnecessary. He paid for the one night then hightailed it back outside.

Luke felt better once he was inside his car. He thrust the key into the ignition, heard it start, put the car into reverse and began to back out of his spot when movement out of the corner of his rearview mirror caught his attention.

The young woman he'd seen sitting on the sidewalk the previous night was in what appeared to be a heated argument with a large older man. Only now that the sun was up and he got a better look, he could tell that it would be more accurate to call her a girl. She didn't look a day over sixteen. She was yelling at the man, though her words were indecipherable due to the distance. Like Luke, she was also in the clothes he'd seen her in before, only calling them clothes was generous. Her gray t-shirt was ripped in one of the shoulders and there were dark patches that could only be dirt. Her jeans hung loosely from her waist and the material in both knees were ripped. He knew that in some cases this was a fashion choice and not due to a ratty condition, but he knew that in this girl's case it was a case of being old and ratty. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a messy bun on top of her head, and it could do with a good washing, but none of that was what struck Luke.

It was the look in her eyes. Even watching the scene play out from the rearview mirror, Luke could see the anger and desperation in her dark eyes and was reminded of the last person he wanted to think about. It was like being stabbed in the heart by the world's sharpest knife. He blinked and tore his gaze away from the girl and her companion, and was about to put the car in drive when it happened.

The girl screamed, and when he looked again in the rearview mirror to see what happened, he saw the girl crumpled in a heap on the street, the large old man towering over her. He kicked her twice in the side and was about to kick her head when Luke found himself out of the car before he could fully register what he was doing.

"Hey!" He yelled, wincing at the hoarseness in his voice. "Leave her alone!"

The man froze, his leg lifted inches from the girl's head.

"I'll call the police if you don't get out of here right now!" Luke called, digging around in his pocket for good measure.

The man's foot lowered back to the ground and he turned to leave, though not before yelling, "You wouldn't be doing her any favors."

And he was gone before anything else could be said.

The girl didn't get up right away. Luke watched her for a moment, hoping that she would get up and follow her companion's example and run away so that he could be removed from any responsibility. But she didn't move.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked after what felt like an eternity had passed. He reluctantly took a step in her direction. He repeated his question when she still did not move and continued to inch his way toward her.

When he was no more than a few feet from her, he saw that she was trembling. He suppressed a sigh, knowing he was the worst person on the planet for thinking that the condition of this girl and the awful circumstances she was in was inconveniencing him. She'd just been attacked, and he was more worried about his timetable than her welfare.

"Miss? Can I do anything for you? Call someone?"

Luke was taken aback when the girl raised her head to glare at him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she mumbled, and Luke was surprised even further when he heard her English accent. She managed to pull herself to her feet after a few clumsy minutes. Luke tried to help her a few times but she brushed him off wordlessly. Eventually he gave up and stepped back to give her space.

She limped and favored one foot, but she managed to stand on her own. Luke watched her for a moment then turned to look at the car. He really needed to get going. He was going to be late enough as it was, and knew how Leia would be if he missed…

"Go." The girl's voice broke through his internal debate.

"Excuse me?"

She nodded at the car, her gaze falling on the open driver's side door. "Don't let me keep you. If you've got somewhere to be, go."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine." She started to limp away, and Luke noticed she was doing a very good job of pretending as though she wasn't in incredible pain.

"Is there someone I can call? Where are your parents?" Honestly, Luke had no idea why he wasn't heeding the girl's advice and getting in his car. If anyone saw the two of them together they might get the wrong idea and think he was responsible for her injuries.

"That's a good question. I wish I knew," the girl snapped. "Now are you going to go or not?"

Luke shrugged. He didn't have to deal with this girl. If she said she was fine, she was fine. She certainly wasn't his responsibility.

"Yes. Sorry to have bothered you." He got back in his car and drove away before he could think any more about her or what he'd just witnessed.

As he drove off the motel property, he thought he would feel better once the girl was out of sight. He was surprised when a gnawing feeling crept into the pit of his stomach and only grew larger with every mile he put between himself and the girl who clearly needed help.

"Damn it," he muttered as he made a sharp turn to exit the highway, causing the driver he'd just cut off to blare his horn. Luke barely registered it as he made his way back to the motel.

 _I'll drop her off at the nearest hospital. She'll get the help she needs and she can officially be out of my hair,_ he thought to himself as he pulled back into the motel parking lot.

Luke didn't know if he was surprised or annoyed when he found the girl back on the sidewalk, picking at a scab on her knee through the hole in her jeans. He pulled up to her, half expecting her to make a run for it before he remembered that she could barely stand. She wasn't going anywhere.

He rolled down the window of the passenger side window and called out to her, "Get in."

She eyed him warily. "How do I know I can trust you?"

Luke shrugged. "You can't. But I _did_ just chase away the guy who gave you those injuries. I promise I'm not going to try anything funny. I just want to take you to a hospital, and you'll never see me again."

She still didn't look convinced. She drew her legs up to her chest and tried not to let him see the pain that simple act brought her.

"It's either that or I call someone to come pick you up. Surely _someone_ out there is missing you?"

When she didn't reply he sighed again and got out of the car. This caused her to pull herself agonizingly to her feet, though she didn't try to run. He opened the passenger door and held it open for her. "A hospital. That's all."

She glared at him before turning her attention to the car. He could tell she was thinking about it. He was about to open his mouth and repeat his offer one more time when she whispered, "That's all?"

"Scout's honor." He held up the boy scout salute he'd learned as a kid and was surprised when the corners of the girl's lips lifted just slightly in the ghost of a smile.

"Okay."

And that was how Luke found himself an unexpected companion.


	2. Road Trip

**A/N: I do not own Star Wars. I am merely playing with some of the characters.  
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 **Thank you so much for your response to this story! It means a lot! Please let me know what you think because it really helps.**

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2

Rey didn't know whether to feel annoyed, relieved, or terrified as she reluctantly leaned back in the seat of the car that belonged to the strange man who had unknowingly saved her life. Her guardian hadn't liked it when she told him she didn't want to fix up the stolen car for another one of his goons and let her know by way of his foot making contact with her body. It certainly wasn't the first time he'd gotten physical with her when she'd refused to do one of his 'jobs,' but it was the first time she'd been truly fearful for her life. The moment he walked away after the mysterious man stepped in to defend her, she knew he'd left the property and tried to leave her with the bill. She supposed the joke was on him because she'd left before checking in and the room was under his name.

She watched silently through the window as the man merged on to the highway and waited for him to start talking, but it seemed he was waiting for the same thing from her. She didn't especially feel like talking just yet so she hoped he was okay with silence. Judging from his stony face every time she chanced a glance at him, he was perfectly fine with silence.

It wasn't until he eventually pulled into a gas station a little after noon that the man turned to face her. She immediately steeled herself, ready for the moment when he decided to kick her out. But he didn't. Instead he said, "So what's your deal?"

She frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

He rolled his eyes and unbuckled his seat belt, though he made no move to leave the car. "I mean, what was that back there? Why was that man hurting you?"

"Oh I get it," Rey replied, her hackles instantly raised. "I must've done something to cause that, right? Because I had to have provoked him to beat me up."

"Well, most people don't just go around beating each other up for no reason."

"That one does."

Rey unbuckled her seat belt and was out of the car before she'd fully registered what she was doing. The slam of a car door behind her told her that the man had done the same thing.

"Hey, wait!"

She stopped but didn't turn around. If she did and looked into his eyes she knew she was likely to take a page out of Unkar Plutt's book and attack him.

"Look, I didn't mean it like that. It came out wrong. What I meant was…" he paused for a moment then sighed. "My name's Luke."

He spoke the last three words so softly it was barely more than a whisper, but was enough for Rey to turn around and look at him.

The man she now knew as Luke looked both dejected and frustrated as he regarded her with sad gray eyes. He seemed to convey a silent apology to her and something else that she couldn't quite name. Warily, she replied, "I'm Rey."

The name brought a small smile to his lips. It looked strained and unsure, as though he'd forgotten how to smile, but it was enough to at least temporarily put her at ease. "Rey." He nodded thoughtfully, though it was impossible for her to even guess what he was thinking about. "Are you hungry?"

The question was one that she normally had to think about. Every time the question was posed to her by Unkar Plutt it had been used to tease her or provoke a reaction that would get her punished. She glared at the man…Luke…but could find no malice or ill will from him so she reluctantly nodded.

"Can you go inside and get some food for the road?" Luke fished around in his pocket and produced a beat up wallet. He opened it up and pulled out a twenty.

Rey shrugged. Her leg hurt every time she put weight on it and her side felt like her organs were trying to push their way through, but it wasn't anything she hadn't dealt with before. "I guess."

"Okay. Get as much as that will cover while I fill up the tank, then meet me out here."

She took the twenty-dollar bill Luke gave her then went into the store and bought a variety of chips, soda, and candy as she was able. When she met Luke out front he was already in the car looking through a box of CDs she hadn't noticed before.

"How do you feel about the Rolling Stones?" he asked her by way of greeting.

Rey shrugged. "I don't listen to music that much."

Luke raised an eyebrow at her, but she pointedly ignored it as she set the bag of food by her feet and buckled her seatbelt. "Well, I guess it's up to me to educate you."

"Just where is it that we're going?" Rey blurted out. "I thought you were taking me to a hospital."

"I am."

"Well, why is it taking so long?"

Luke scoffed disbelievingly and gestured around them. "I can't take you to a hospital if my car runs out of gas. We needed to fill up first."

Rey sighed and leaned back. "I'll be okay if we don't go."

"Are you sure?" It was clear that the older man didn't believe her.

"It's just some bruises and a sore leg. I'll be fine."

"Is there somewhere you want me to take you? Any family within driving distance?"

Rey didn't answer at first, unsure how to respond. If she told him that she didn't have anyone except her sleazy foster father he might take her back or worse, to a police station or homeless shelter. She'd been in both back when she'd still been a ward of the state and they'd made living with Plutt feel like a luxury. She refused to go back to them. But the other option was finding a place for the night in a park or an alley and the prospect of that filled her with a fear she wasn't quite ready to face.

"I'll tell you what," Luke said after a minute's silence. "I'll take you to Coruscant, and we'll figure it out from there. Deal?"

Once again Rey felt uneasy and told him as much. "Why are doing all this? I'm not your responsibility."

"Honestly?" When Rey nodded Luke replied softly, "Because if it was my daughter I'd want someone to help her."

"Do you have a daughter?"

It was the wrong thing to ask. Immediately he turned away and started the car. The defenses she'd sensed around him earlier were back up and she felt as though a wall had been built between them.

"No. I don't." He pulled out of the gas station and merged back on to the highway, leaving them to drive in silence.

Rey wished she had something to do other than stare out the window and add up each mile marker on the road. By the time the sun had set and Luke pulled into a dumpy motel that was eerily similar to the previous one, Rey figured she'd put six hundred and two miles between Plutt and herself. The prospect filled her with both fear and elation.

"So how far is Coruscant from here?" Rey asked as she walked with Luke to the receptionist's desk of the motel.

"We should be there after another day's drive," Luke replied.

After they checked in and got a room with two queen beds, they found the room and dumped what little they had.

"Are you okay with having the snacks for dinner? I'll treat us to a proper meal in the morning," Luke said. She watched silently as he tested the mattress and closed his eyes in obvious exhaustion.

"That's fine," she replied quietly. She kicked off her ratty shoes and sat down on her bed, the one closest to the bathroom. A quick glance at her companion told her that he wasn't about to get up any time soon she took the liberty of having the first shower.

It felt as though she hadn't showered in days. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been able to shower without the constant knocking of Unkar Plutt and shouts of, "Hurry up! You're wasting water!" She half expected to hear a knock on the bathroom door and Luke's impatient voice and sped up anyway.

By the time she'd dressed in the same clothes she'd worn for the previous two days and returned to her bed, she saw that the older man was asleep on top of the bed, his shoes still on his feet. She debated with herself over whether she should wake him up or leave him be, ultimately deciding on the latter. He'd driven all day and was undoubtedly exhausted. Best to leave him alone.

After running her fingers through her short dark hair to get as many of the tangles out as she could, she threw her towel in the corner of the room and laid down, both hating the silence and relishing it. Sleep was usually harder for her to fall into when there was nothing for her to concentrate on other than her uneasy thoughts, but she found that the events of the previous twenty-four hours had brought her to the same level of exhaustion as her companion, and she had no trouble falling into the first peaceful sleep she'd gotten in a long, long time.


End file.
